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CONTENTS
AN OVERVIEW OF ISLAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
CHAPTER ONE — The Development of Islam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Life Before Muhammad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Muhammad—The Great Prophet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
The Middle East . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
CHAPTER TWO — The Spread of Islam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
The Caliphs (632 – 661) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
The Umayyads (661 – 750) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
The Beginning of Islam Expansion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
The Abbasids (750 – 1258) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
The Crusades: A Fight for the Holy Lands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
The Mongols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Three Powerful Muslim Monarchies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
I. The Ottoman Empire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
II. The Safavid Dynasty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
III. The Mughal Empire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
The Rise of the West: Colonialism and its Aftermath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
CHAPTER THREE — Teachings and Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
The Quran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
The Mosque . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
The Five Pillars of Islam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Pillar I – The Shahada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Pillar II – Salat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Pillar III – Zakat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Pillar IV – Sawm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Pillar V – Hajj . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
CHAPTER FOUR — Islamic Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Sharia
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Muslim Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Sin and God’s Forgiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Good Deeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Major Sins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
CHAPTER FIVE — Women in Islam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Men and Women Are Equal—Or Are They . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Muslim Women and What They Wear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
CHAPTER SIX — Islamic Sects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Sunnis and Shiites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Sufism
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
CHAPTER SEVEN — Arab Contributions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Islamic Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Islamic Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Arabic Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Arabic Contributions to Science . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
CHAPTER EIGHT — Islamic Holy Festivals and Holy Days of Observance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
CHAPTER NINE — A Comparison of Islam with Other World Religions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
TEST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
ANSWER KEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
BIBLIOGRAPHY & INTERNET SITES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Inside Islam © Milliken Publishing Company
AN OVERVIEW
I
OF ISLAM
slam is a religion that developed almost 1400 years ago in Mecca (in present-day
Saudi Arabia). Today, Islam is the second largest and fastest growing religion in the
world. Approximately 1.3 billion Muslims can be found in 55 different countries.
Between four and seven million Muslims are United States citizens.
Islam is an Arabic word, the root of which (s-l-m) primarily means “peace,” but in a
secondary sense means “surrender.” In its broadest sense, the word Islam means “the
peace that comes when one’s life is surrendered to God.” Muslims submit to God,
called Allah in Arabic, and follow Islamic teachings.
Islam is a way of life based on the teachings of the prophet Muhammad who lived
from 570—632. Muhammad is believed by Muslims to have received revelations from
God. These revelations were assembled in a book called the Quran (also, Koran),
which Muslims believe contains the actual word of God. The Quran is the Muslim holy
book, containing the guidelines by which followers of Allah are to live, which cannot
be changed or added to.
Islam provides guidelines for the moral, spiritual, and political organization of
society. Thus, Muslims believe all actions must be guided by God’s will.
The fundamental concept of Islam is monotheism—the belief that there is one
God,Allah—and Muhammad is his messenger and servant. God requires both moral
behavior and devotion from Muslims. Muslims believe that they were created to
worship and serve God and humanity.
Muslims have six fundamental beliefs called the articles of faith.The six beliefs are:
belief in Allah, belief in angels, belief in the previously revealed books of God, belief in
all the prophets, belief in the Day of Judgment, and belief in divine laws.
Words to remember:
Islam
Muslim
prophet
Allah
Quran
Muhammad
articles of faith
1
Inside Islam © Milliken Publishing Company
CHAPTER ONE
The Development of Islam
Life Before Muhammad
B
efore Islam, people living in the
Middle East (see map on page 5) were
known as Arabs, as they are today.Their
native language was and still is Arabic.All
Arabs share a common history and culture.
Arabs before Islam were traders,
farmers, nomads, and town-dwellers.They
had many religions and worshiped a
number of gods.
Muslim history begins with the story
of Abraham, a prophet. It is believed that
Abraham may have lived between 2100
and 1500 B.C. He is regarded by Muslims
(and Jews) as the father of their people.
Abraham is also considered to be the first
monotheist (believer in one God).
Abraham and his wife’s servant,
Hagar, had a son named Ishmael. Hagar
and Ishmael were sent away when
Abraham’s wife, Sarah, had a son, Isaac.
Hagar and Ishmael traveled to what
came to be called the city of Mecca (the
birthplace of Islam). There they found a
sacred well. This well provided them
with the water they needed to live.
When Ishmael grew to be an adult,
Abraham visited him in Mecca. There,
next to the sacred well,Abraham and
Ishmael (a prophet, like his father) built a
temple to God.This temple is called the
Kaaba. It is the holiest shrine of the
Islamic faith. In the wall of the Kaaba, the
two prophets placed the Black Stone.
Muslims believe the Black Stone fell from
heaven as a sign of the first covenant
between God and humankind.
Although the Kaaba was built as a
temple to God, many Arabs before Islam
filled it with idols that represented a
number of gods. These Arabs then made
pilgrimages there to worship the idols.
It was not until Muhammad conquered
Mecca, in 630, that the Kaaba was
cleansed of its idols and returned to its
original state of holiness as a temple to
the one God of Islam—Allah.
Muhammad – The Great Prophet
I
slam began with the prophet
Muhammad.Although Muhammad (his
name means “the praised one”) is not the
first Islamic prophet, he is believed by
Muslims to be the last.The Quran cites
Adam as the first prophet, with thousands
falling between Adam and Muhammad,
but only 25 listed by name. Some of
those listed by name include Abraham,
Moses, David, and Jesus.
Muhammad was aware of Hebrew
and Christian traditions and believed that
God had already revealed himself in part
through Moses and Jesus. However,
Muhammad believed he was chosen to
be God’s messenger to deliver the final
revelations of God to the people.
Muhammad was born in the Arabian
city of Mecca, near the coast of the Red
Sea in about 570.According to tradition,
Inside Islam © Milliken Publishing Company
Abraham’s banishment
of Hagar and Ishmael is
a pivotal moment in the
history of monotheism.
Jews and Muslims both
claim Abraham as their
patriarch. Muslims
believe themselves
descendants of Abraham
through Ishmael, and
Jews through Isaac.
Words to remember:
Arabs
Abraham
Hagar
Ishmael
Mecca
Kaaba
Black Stone
idol
Allah
Quran
2
There, one night, at age 40, in about
610, Muhammad is said to have received
the first of his revelations from God.The
angel Gabriel appeared to him and
commanded him to recite words that
later became part of the Quran.“Recite,”
Gabriel said,“in the name of the Lord
who created man from clots of blood.
Your Lord is the Most Bountiful One,
who by the pen taught man what he did
not know.”
Initially frightened, Muhammad came
to accept the revelations which were
from then on frequently imparted to him.
In 613, Muhammad began preaching the
message of monotheism—a belief in the
one true God. He also taught that idolatry
was wrong.This concept was highly
controversial, as Arabs had been
worshipping a number of gods for many
years.
At first, Islam was merely a local
religion led by Muhammad, and Meccans
tolerated his preaching. Some laughed at
Muhammad and thought his teachings
odd. But as he grew more confident and
uncompromising, condemning the
idolatry and immorality of his fellow
townsmen, Muhammad was increasingly
seen as a danger to the existing way of life
and a threat to the Meccan economy.
Merchants, in particular, feared that if Arabs
became followers of Muhammad and
stopped making pilgrimages to Mecca to
worship idols at the Kaaba, they would
stop spending money there, and the
on the night of his birth, a star filled
the sky with a bright light.
Muhammad’s parents died when he
was young, so he was raised by his
uncle.As a young man, Muhammad
worked as a trade agent for a wealthy
widow.At the age of twenty-five, he
According to Islam, the
angel Gabriel spoke to
Muhammad.
Words to remember:
Muhammad
revelations
angel Gabriel
monotheism
idolatry
persecuted
Hegira
Prophet’s Tomb
married this woman (who was fifteen
years older than he) and had several
children with her.
Muhammad was a successful caravan
merchant. In the course of his many
journeys, Muhammad had repeated
encounters with Jews and Christians.
Through them, he became interested in
religious questions and grew increasingly
uncomfortable with worldliness, greed,
and the pagan worship in Mecca. He
began to meditate in a cave on the
mountain, Hira, outside the city.
The Life of Muhammad (570–632)
570
594
610
Muhammad is born
in Mecca.
613
620 622
Muhammad marries a
wealthy widow;
becomes a
prosperous merchant.
3
The angel Gabriel
appears to Muhammad
as he meditates in a
cave outside Mecca.
This is the first of
many revelations
Muhammad receives
over a period of about
23 years.
Inside Islam © Milliken Publishing Company
About 10 years after
Muhammad began
his ministry, he
experiences what is
known as the
“Night Journey.”.
630
632
Muhammad dies
in Medina.
Muhammad begins
preaching that Allah
is the only God.
Muhammad is forced
out of Mecca; he and
his followers migrate
to Medina (Hegira);
Hegira is celebrated
as the beginning of
Islam as an organized
religion and it also
signifies the
beginning of the
Islamic calendar.
Muhammad conquers
Mecca; rids the Kaaba
of idolatry and returns
it to its original state
as a temple to the
one God, Allah.